Tank-skimmer.



w. J.v WBLGH. TANK SKIMMEB. PPLIOATION IILBD JUNE 6, 1012.

1,07,391 Patented Aug. 18, 1914,

are rr ont@ WALTER J. WELCH, OF CHGGO, ILLUWOIS, SSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T@ `WALLACE E. BELCHER, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

rank-sitieinen.

Specicatlon of Letters Eatent.

Application filed June 8, 191%. serial No. t'. s

T all whom t may concern Be it known that ll, WALTER J. WELCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State di illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Tank-Skimmers, of which the following is a specification.

rllhis invention relates in general to skimmers adapted for the separation of two liquids of different specific gravities and, more particularly, to a device for separating thlpi trom the surface of the water in a gas ta l llt is well known to those familiar with the manufacture of illuminating gas thatwal considerable quantity of oil is introduced into the storage tank with the gas, which oilaccumulates on the surface ot the water in the tank. llt is desirable to remove this oil for two reasons; first-because of the value of the oil itself for commercial purposes and,

secondly-because itis absorbed to a greater or less degree by the gas in the tank with detrimental eEect to the gas.

`@ne of the objects of the present invention is to remove this oil from the surface of vthe water without wasting thewater and irrespectivey of the height of the water. in the tank.

Another object is the provision of a device which will automatically maintain itself at a predetermined height relatively to the heavier liquid so that the lighter liquid will becollected by the device and carried away for future use. v

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be ap uarent as'the same is better understood by reerence to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating one preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2;.lf`ig. 2 is an elevation of the 'skimmer shown inv Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view through a gas tank showing my invention in operative position therein.-

0n the drawings, reference character 5 designates a collapsible as storage tank of usual construction comprising the standards or frame 6 and the collapsiblesections 7 and 8. Water is usually supplied to tanks of this character from any suitable source to form a water seal in the bottom of the tank and an overdow 9 is provided to determine the might to which the water may rise in the tan l Patenten ang.. te, tera..

lt will be observed that the overow pipe Y is locatedoutside the section .7 and when gas under pnemure accumulates in. the tank the surface of the water inside the collapsible section 'Z' will be at a lower level than the water outside the section due to the pressure ot the gas in the tank. rlt will be manifest,

therefore, that the water level within the tank varies with thevariations and pressure oit the gas; consequently, a skimmer xed at any predetermined height in the tank, such as has heretofore been employed, will not accomplish the desired result for the reason that when the water level drops below the surface' of the upper edge of the skimmer the oil willnot be removed and when the water level rises above the ed e of the skimmer the water will be drawn ol".

ln order to remove the oil without removing any considerable quantity of water, ll l i have provided a Heating skimmer which will now be described: A pipe 1l is xedly mounted within the tank in any suitable manner with one end projecting outside the tank and the other end extending horizons tallyabove the water level, preferably to the Center of the tank, and terminating in a downwardly extending portion l2. An open-top receptacle, comprising a tubular portion 13 and a funnel-shaped portion 14,

is disposed over the downwardly projecting end 12 of the pipe-and is adapted to slide up and down thereon, said receptacle being guided in its sliding movements by a suitablel guide 15 .loosely embracing the pipe. The portions 13 and 14 of the receptacle are respectively threaded into a coupling 16 to which are secured laterally projecting arms 17 equipped at their outer ends with suitable :floats 1S which are adapted to maintain the upper edge of the funnel portion la slightly above the level of the water. rlhe positions of the funnel-shaped portion 14 and also ofthe portion 13 of the receptacle -may be adjusted relatively to the floats by reason of the threaded connection with the coupling 16. When the proper adjustment is made the upper edge of the receptacle will be maintained at all times approximately at the level of the water so that the oil which collects on the surface of the provided for limiting the downward move ment of the skimmer if preferred.

When the device is to be used-the pipe 11 is iilledwith water and the valve 22 outside the tank is then closed. The-skimmer will and .fall'with variations inwater level inthe ltank so as to. maintain its upper edge approximately at the water level, as previously described, thus permitting the oil on the surface of the water to flow-into the receptacle. At predetermined times the valve 22 ma vbe opened and the oil will, thereu 011,. e withdrawn from the rece tacle by slphonic` action, since the vertical eg 23 of the pipe 11 is longer than the downwardly pro'ecting leg 12. When the oil has been wit drawn drawn out through the pipe the valve 22 is closed, thus leaving the plpe full of water so that the next accumulation of oil may be withdrawn by simplly opening the valve. The lower end of t e pipe 12 1s preferably notched, as indicated at 24a so that siphonic `actionwill not be interfere with in case the 'bottom of the cylinder 13 is .elevated into 'contact with `the. end'of tle pipe as might skiinmer so thatit willsecured to the outer end of eac so` that water from the tank isV lsitioned to maintain sometimesoccur when the'fgwater thetank l 'i reaches an unusual height.

It is believed that my invention and' many of its attendant advantagesy will be understood^from the lfore oing 'without further lbe obvious that varidescription and it wi shape,

ous mechanical changes injthe size,

'proportion and arrangement of the various y parts may be resorted to withoutv departing rom the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the material advantages thereof. I claim:

A tank skimmer for separating floating oil from water in a tank, comprism a pipe closed at its lower end, a cross coup ng at- 'tached to the upper end thereof, arms ro` jecting laterally from saidcoulpling, a oat arm, a funnel shaped receptacle attached to the uplper end of said coupling, a discharge sip on having the short leg thereof projectln downwardly tbrouh said funnel shape recep tacle and sai coupling into said pipe, a

screen carried by the upper end vof said receptacle, and guide members mounted on sald funnel shapedreceptacle `and -sldin 1y enga ed with the leg of said siphonl where y the oats and the apparatus carried thereby are guided in their up and downmovementson said Siphon leg, said ioats bein the up er ed e o lsaid funnel shaped receptacle su stantially on a level with the upper surface of the water inthe tank. f W TER J. Witnesses:

Ina J. WILSON,y LUTHER JorrNs. 

